Starch composition and functional properties of raw and pretreated anchote (Coccinia abyssinica (Lam.) Cogn.) tuber flours dried at different temperatures

Anchote (Coccinia abyssinica (Lam.) Cogn.) is an indigenous tuber crop produced in southwest part of Ethiopia. As an indigenous and underutilized tuber, limited scientific information is available about the characteristics of dried anchote powder. In this study, attempts were made to investigate the starch composition and functional properties of flours produced from the raw and pretreated tuber dried at different temperatures (60, 80, and 100 degrees C). The results showed that both pretreatment and drying temperature significantly (p < .05) affected the amylose/amylopectin ratio, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), water absorption capacity (WAC), oil absorption capacity (OAC), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), swelling power (SP), total polyphenols content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). The treatment combinations result in varied ranges of pH (5.70-6.47), TSS (5.37-10.8 degrees Brix), WAC (2.42-4.21 g/g), OAC (0.94-1.44 g/g), WAI (3.40-5.42 g/g), WSI (11.40%-20.37%), SP (4.56-7.20 g/g), foaming capacity (FC) (3.31%-33.33%), foam stability (FS) (1.89%-20.00%), amylose content (AC) (14.18%-36.11% ), TPC (0.22-0.80 mg GAE/g), and TFC content (0.12-0.44 mg CE/g). The blanched and boiled anchote flours dried at relatively lower drying temperature exhibited better WAC, SP, and WAI than the raw. Considering the determined parameters, the flour from the tuber can be used as an ingredient in different food formulations.